A gag gift only has to be funny for the moment that someone unwraps it. After that, you know it's probably going to collect dust somewhere. These aren't the types of gifts people go back to time and time again, or even remember a week after they open them. But the 27 on this list are different. These actually become useful when the joke wears off: a desk thing, a kitchen thing, something they'll actually wear, something built around whatever one subject they are obsessed with.

What Makes a Gag Gift Worth Giving

Good gag gifts typically share four things:

• The joke is understood immediately; nobody has to explain it.
• The gift still can serve a purpose once the joke's worn off.
• It's not an attack on someone's body, age, or how much they drink.
• It doesn't need you in the room when it's opened.

A gag gift really has to be two gifts in one. The joke is funny at the moment, and the gift needs to get a laugh. But whatever you choose also has to be a gift that will last and not simply be thrown into landfill once the party is over.

Here's a quick test to help you decide if your gag gift is going to hit both marks: picture whatever you are planning to buy sitting around in February. If you can't picture it being used, then it's not the right choice.

6 Gag Gifts for a Desk

A gift for someone's desk can be a great choice as it will typically get a long life. It's safe territory for gag gifts for the type of person who already has three mugs they never use.

1. Nameplate with a made-up title. "Director of Office Gossip" can be a funny gift if you have someone on your team who is the one who always knows what's going on before it's official.
2. A pen the size of a table leg. Looks ridiculous propped up against a desk but can still be used to write a full memo.
3. Coaster set with a deadpan warning label. "Caution: Will Absolutely Judge Your Drink Order" can get a laugh, especially if it's for the guy who only takes his coffee black.
4. Stress ball shaped like a tiny, unimpressed boss. Everyone's had a boss who needed one of these at some point, and it can just sit on the desk as a funny trinket until the next bad meeting.
5. Wall calendar built around something nobody needed twelve months of. Vintage postage stamps, types of knots, whatever their one weird interest is.
6. Notepad headed "Things I'll Do Instead of My Job." It gets a laugh in the moment but then can just be used like a regular notepad.

6 Gag Gifts for the Kitchen

The kitchen's the other place where a gag gift can actually turn into something that gets picked up daily.

1. Bottle opener in a comical shape. Opens a bottle just fine and can get a laugh every time it's used.
2. Apron with one good tagline on it. "Trust Me, I've Watched a Lot of Cooking Shows" or something like that can get people talking and laughing before dinner is even served.
3. Ice cube tray shaped like tiny skulls. A great option for any goth friends you have, and it turns a normal glass of water into something that gets people talking.
4. Serving spoon shaped like a tiny hand. Weird enough to get a laugh, useful enough to actually end up in the drawer with the real serving spoons.
5. Hot sauce that says exactly how hot it is on the label. "This Will Ruin Your Evening" is a fair warning, and someone will always try it if you leave it out on the table.
6. Cookie cutters shaped like something nobody's ever needed a cookie shaped like. A cactus, a flamingo, whatever's strange enough to get used once in a while and kept forever.

5 Gag Gifts They Will Actually Wear

These types of gifts only work if it's for one specific person, and it can also be helpful to know roughly their size.

1. Socks with a pattern that will have everyone staring. Whatever's on them, it should be something that everyone comments on the first time they see them.
2. Beanie or baseball cap with a deadpan line stitched across the front. Pick something dry enough to get a second look the first time they wear it out.
3. Slippers shaped like something they'd never buy themselves. A pair of tiny bear claws, a fish, whatever gets a laugh walking to the kitchen.
4. Enamel pin built around an inside joke only they'd get. Small enough to clip on to their bag and forget about until someone asks.
5. Bathrobe that has everyone do a double take. The kind of pattern that gets a reaction the second they walk into the room wearing it.

6 Gag Gifts for the Person With One Weird Obsession

Everyone's got one subject they can talk about for hours, that no one else in the room is that interested in.

1. A stuffed animal of their dog's exact breed. Not a generic dog, the actual breed, as close as you can get to a replica of their actual dog.
2. A field guide to their obsession. Birds, mushrooms, vintage tractors, whatever weird thing it is, you can probably find a book about it.
3. An enamel patch for the specific hobby, not the general one. For example, fly fishing, not fishing, sourdough, not baking.
4. A puzzle of the thing itself. A thousand pieces of the exact car, plant, or train they won't stop mentioning.
5. A book of the most annoying facts about it. The kind of trivia that gets read aloud at dinner whether anyone wants to hear it or not.
6. A food shaped pillow of their favourite takeout order. Whatever they order without looking at the menu, turned into something they can actually keep on the couch.

4 Gag Gifts Where the Joke Is the Photo

For these gifts you already need to have a photo in mind.

1. A custom face pillow made from the one photo they've begged you to delete for years.
2. A photo from the exact moment a plan fell apart. The cake that collapsed before anyone cut it, the DIY haircut, the vacation photo where someone's clearly regretting their fashion choice.
3. A kid's drawing turned into an actual object. Whatever they scribbled when they were younger gets turned into a real, physical thing.
4. A photo printed on a pair of socks. Their own face, or someone else's, worn daily where nobody's expecting to find it.

Five Gag Gifts That Have Been Done to Death

1. Fake or prank gift boxes. A box that isn't what it looks like isn't a gift, and often won't really land.
2. Anything fart or toilet themed. These jokes are funny when you’re in primary school but as an adult can be seen as immature.
3. Singing novelties. Funny for exactly one play, then immediately unplugged.
4. A joke that needs a paragraph of explanation before it lands. If you have to walk someone through it, it's not funny anymore.
5. Anything that only works if you're standing there when it's opened. The second the room empties, the joke is lost.

The Line Between Funny and Mean

Different people have different senses of humor, and something can quickly cross a line and make someone feel bad about themselves if you aren't thoughtful. A gag gift should make a joke about a situation, an object, or a photo. It should never be about someone's body, their age, their weight, their drinking, their relationship status, or how much money they make.

A few questions to ask yourself before buying any gift are:

• Would they show it to someone else?
• Would it still be funny to read out loud, with them in the room?
• Are you actually the person who gets to make that joke with them?

A gag gift only works because it comes from someone who likes the person receiving it.

Common Questions

What's the difference between a gag gift and a white elephant gift?

A white elephant gift has to work for whoever ends up with it out of a pile of possible strangers. A gag gift is for one specific person, bought by someone who actually knows them, which is why it's allowed to get personal in a way a white elephant gift never can.

Should you give a real gift alongside a gag gift?

If the occasion calls for an actual present, such as a birthday or anniversary, yes. A gag gift on its own reads as a joke. Paired with something real, it reads as someone who put thought into both.

Is it appropriate to give a boss a gag gift?

Only if you already know they'd actually laugh at it, and even then, keep it clean enough to open in front of the whole office. Skip anything about their age, their coffee habit, or how often they're in meetings.

What's a good gag gift for someone who already has everything?

Go personal instead of practical. Something built around their one obsession, or a photo only you'd have. These tend to land better than another object collecting dust.

How do you wrap a gag gift so the joke lands?

Keep the wrapping plain. A wrapping paper joke competes with the actual joke inside, and the reveal works better when the box gives nothing away first.

The One That Always Lands

If there's no time to think, go with the nameplate. It's read the second someone sits down at their desk; it doesn't need an explanation, and it's still doing its job in February.